Blankon Announcement

497: Advice from the Gods, and Family Time

The meeting with King Gandilis progressed amicably, and we secured his attendance at the next Interworld Conference.

Even though the Phrase and Mutants are gone, these summits remain necessary. Especially now, it’s crucial to foster cultural exchange between the Western and Eastern continents.

In Eastern countries, golems should be made known to the public, while in Western countries, magic needs to be recognized as something familiar. For that to happen, the leaders of these nations must first understand each other.

For example, when we tested King Gandilis and Princess Cordelia for magical aptitude, both showed an affinity for the Earth element. Is it because they are from a mining country?

With a bit of guidance from Lean, both were soon able to use the basic spell [Stone Bullet]. Earth magic may seem dull, but it’s quite useful in mining for creating walls or digging holes.

We provided them with beginner’s magic textbooks, and our first visit to Gandilis was quite successful. If only all visits went this smoothly.

Usually, we end up getting involved in some strange incident... Well, I guess we did this time too.

The "Apostle of the Evil God"... I don’t know what they’re plotting, but if they try to disrupt the hard-won peace in this world, I won’t show any mercy.

As the people of Gandilis saw us off, we prepared to return to Brunhild via the giant airship 'Balmung'.

We could use [Gate] to return, but Asia was cooking, so...

“Come, Father! Please eat!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll eat, okay?”

The living space of 'Balmung' was filled with an overwhelming amount of food. Isn’t this a bit too much? This isn’t a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

“Oh, this is delicious. Asia, what is this?”

“That is an apple and cheese wrapped in prosciutto, Mother Leen. The ham is from Bulldebois.”

Bulldebois, huh? The giant white boar that lives in snowy regions. Who knew it tasted this good?

Luu also took a bite of her daughter’s cooking.

“I see... The sweet and sour taste of the apple and the saltiness of the prosciutto... It’s delicious.”

“Oh my, to receive such praise from Mother. What a surprise.”

Asia-san, stop with the smug look like you’ve won. It’s making me a bit uncomfortable...

“However, if it were me, I would add black pepper or lemon juice for an accent. It’s a bit lacking.”

“Mu-mugu! I-I also thought of that!”

See, she’s been rebutted. Luu, you should stop with the smug look too. You two really are similar...

But there’s so much food. No, it’s all delicious, but... I was starting to feel full, so I asked Asia about what was bothering me.

“By the way, where are Kuhn and the others?”

“They’re still dismantling that golem they picked up in the hangar. I called them for dinner earlier, but they just mumbled a response...”

Again? When they get engrossed in something, they neglect everything else. Can’t they switch their focus?

Seriously... We can’t finish all this food by ourselves.

I’ll call them. Not running away from eating, I promise.

Holding my full stomach, I headed to the hangar. Dr. Babylon, Engineer Elka, and Kuhn were sitting on the floor surrounded by various disassembled parts of the four-armed golem, looking puzzled.

Peeking over their heads, I saw a red octahedron the size of a baseball at the center.

“What’s that?”

“This is what we call a G-Cube... It likely powers this golem, but it’s clearly different from a golem’s usual components.”

“It’s not a golem?”

“The other parts are golem’s. It’s using Q-Crystals from the military automaton, Soldat.”

Dr. Babylon and Engineer Elka explained, but I didn’t quite get it. An illegally modified golem?

“It’s a golem but not a golem... An unusual existence.”

“And this? It seems to function similarly to a G-Cube, but the object itself is a mystery. Even my [Analyze] can’t decipher it.”

Dr. Babylon lifted the octahedron to the light. It was a red, blood-like, translucent object. Could it be...

I checked it with my Divine Eye. As expected.

“You shouldn’t touch it too much. It’s faint, but there’s an evil god’s divine energy emanating from it. It’s not harmful in small amounts, but it can make you feel sick.”

Hearing my words, Dr. Babylon quickly let go of it. The red octahedron clattered to the hangar floor.

“An evil god? Is this golem related to an evil god? But didn’t you defeat the evil god?”

“Seems like some remnants, or ‘okara,’ were left.”

“‘Okara’?”

Dr. Babylon and Engineer Elka furrowed their brows, asking what I meant.

I explained it as Asia had told me: it’s like the leftover residue from tofu.

“I see. So that’s what you mean by ‘okara.’ Quite a fitting description.”

“Even as residue, it still contains the essence of the beans. We can’t let our guard down.”

Even if left by the Neet God, divine power is still divine power. Ordinary humans can’t handle it. Besides, this world is no longer under the gods’ protection, so we have to deal with it ourselves.

Well, technically, the world isn’t under the gods’ protection anymore, but in my hands...

Now that I think about it, how should I manage this world...? As a rookie who just joined the God Company, I could really use some reliable seniors.

Karin-neesan and Moroha-neesan aren’t dependable for this... Their job isn’t world management.

So, it’s either the Supreme God or the Space-Time God, Tokie Obaachan. Tokie Obaachan has been busy lately and hasn’t visited much.

If she’s busy with the Space-Time Tremor and our daughter, it’s hard to ask.

It’s best to ask the Supreme God directly.

I’ll visit them later.

“Even if this is connected to the evil god, who’s the technician that put together this patchwork golem?”

“A Five Master Artisan could possibly do it... ‘Professor’ is in Panaches, and ‘Maestro’ hates humans, so they wouldn’t follow anyone.”

Five Master Artisans, huh? The remaining ones are Engineer Elka and Mario-san’s ‘Exploration Engineers.’ The last one, the Magic Artisan King, is dead.

“The ‘Apostles of the Evil God’ are a group. In other words, a ‘Cult of the Evil God.’”

Ugh, that sounds terrible. Kuhn’s words made me grimace. Who would worship that Neet God...? Are they possessed?

That’s a possibility. If there are multiple Evil Artifacts, they might be manipulated by them...

“With so little information, there’s no point in speculating. If they’re up to no good, we’ll crush them.”

“Hahaha. As expected of Father.”

“Alright, that’s enough of this topic. You all should eat. Asia is waiting.”

I stood them up and sent them off to the dining room. I picked up the red octahedron, sealed it with [Prison], and stored it in my [Storage].

◇　◇　◇

“Ugh! If it was that interesting, I should’ve gone too!”

Frey banged the table with both hands. Stop it, that’s bad manners.

“Do you think the ‘Apostles of the Evil God’ are strong? I want to fight them!”

“I-I’d rather not fight...”

While Linne excitedly chattered, Elna remained quietly passive. In this case, Elna’s stance is correct.

“You two shouldn’t do as you please. Leave things like this to the adults.”

Elsa glared at the reckless Linne and Frey. Frey seemed to understand, but Linne looked dissatisfied.

“Anyway, we’ll put this matter on hold. As Elsa said, don’t act on your own.”

“Yes...”

Linne reluctantly responded. Kuhn, Frey, Asia, and Elna also nodded slightly.

“Now then, everyone, let’s take a bath and get ready for bed. Let’s go.”

“““““Yes!”””””

Yumina, like a teacher leading a group, guided the children to the bath. Our large bathhouse is spacious enough for everyone. Linne swimming around is the only issue, as Linze mentioned.

With the children gone, I stood up to head to the Divine Realm. Oh, I need to bring a gift.

The Supreme God prefers Japanese sweets, so I decided to bring dorayaki and yokan.

Opening the [Gate], I found myself in the familiar sea of clouds. In the four-and-a-half-tatami room, the Supreme God and another god, surprisingly the Destruction God, were seated at the low table.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

“Yo. You look well.”

The two gods greeted me, but I was puzzled by the Destruction God’s presence. Well, it’s not strange for gods to be here, but...

“Ah, it’s been a while. Here’s a gift. Dorayaki and yokan.”

“Oh, thank you. Let’s have some right away.”

“What, no sake?”

"No, I don't. Speaking of which, last time you came down to earth, you drank so much I was worried you'd cause trouble."

"What's the matter today?"

"Well, actually..."

I briefly explained to the World God the current situation in our world. By defeating the Evil God, I had become the administrator of that world. Although I didn't feel it at all.

Putting aside what the people of that world think of me, I have somehow become the "God" of the world... though I'm still an apprentice.

So, as this "God," what should I do in this case?

"I'd like to say you don't have to do anything... but since the Evil God is involved, we can't leave it at that. There are two main ways to handle this."

"Two ways?"

"One is to grant a new divine artifact to someone and awaken them as a hero to defeat the Evil God. Just leave it to them. You just watch. Normally, this is the method we would take. However, since you are both the administrator and a resident of that world, you can handle it yourself, which is the second method."

"Oh, I figured. I can't just leave it to someone else, so I guess I have to handle it after all..."

"There's also another way. You could destroy the entire world along with everything in it..."

"That's out of the question."

"I haven't even said it yet."

I know what the Destruction God would say. He's suggesting to destroy the world like wiping off dirt with a rag. Please don't destroy the world so casually.

"That world is already under your management. Do as you like. Oh, but just because I said do as you like, please don't go conquering the world, okay? That would be mixing personal matters with official duties. That world belongs to its people. Originally, your job is to watch over the world so it doesn't go in a strange direction."

"I won't do any world-conquering. It's too much hassle."

Gods are supposed to be observers of the world, occasionally intervening when things look dire. They perform miracles, bestow holy swords or divine swords, give divine oracles, or sometimes dispatch messengers.

In my case, since I'm living in the world, things have gotten complicated.

"Well, the minions of the Evil God shouldn't be a big deal for you now. They might be troublesome, but just make sure you take care of them properly. If you don't root them out completely, you'll have to deal with their underlings' underlings."

"Ugh."

What is this, some kind of persistent weed? No matter how many times you pull it out, it keeps growing back.

"By the way, should we inform the gods who are currently on earth about this situation?"

Our world, besides being under my management, also serves as a resort for the gods.

I'm asking if we need to inform the other gods besides my support team—Karenn-nee, the dance god, the strength god, the craft god, the glasses god, the theater god, the doll god, the wandering god, the flower god, and the gem god.

"It's fine. They're currently living as humans, and more importantly, they're on vacation. There's no need to get them involved."

Well, that simplifies things for us too. It's already a hassle dealing with the kids, I can't handle the gods as well.

"Well, there's no need to worry too much. Even if it involves the Evil God, it's just remnants. Cleanup is tedious, but that's the same everywhere. I find it more annoying to clean up after destroying a world."

Well, don't lump us together. I understand that cleanup is a hassle.

"Well, there's no specific prohibition on what you can do, so think of it as a bit of cleaning. I believe you'll be fine, but if you get lazy with the cleanup, you'll have trouble later, like him."

"Shut up."

Cleaning, huh? Well, I get what they're trying to say. For the gods, this is probably like dealing with stubborn mold or cleaning sink stains—just tedious work.

Alright, I've got their blessing, so I'll handle it my way.

◇　◇　◇

"Father, I want to go hunt magic beasts!"

"Oh, suddenly my daughter says something strange?"

The next day, while we were having breakfast together, Linne suddenly blurted that out.

"Hunt magic beasts? You mean you want to go on a hunt?"

"Yeah! Since we came here, I haven't been able to take any requests from the Adventurer's Guild, and there aren't any strong magic beasts in Brunhild, so it's boring. That's why I want to go to the Great Forest or Mismede!"

Linne said enthusiastically, while her mother, Linze, looked troubled. Well, it's not something you can just say like it's a picnic.

"Oh, I want to go too. I want to fight magic beasts again. I don't want to get rusty."

Frey raised her hand, agreeing with Linne. Hmm. Shouldn't you, as the older sister, be stopping her?

I called out to Kuhn, who was sitting nearby.

"Were you hunting that many magic beasts in the future?"

"In the future, there were more giant beasts appearing, and other countries often had magic beast stampedes. Linne and Frey onee-sama often went abroad with Yakumo onee-sama via [Gate] to deal with them."

I see. When giant beasts appear, they drive magic beasts out of the mountains and forests, causing them to come down to inhabited areas. They were hunting those beasts.

I did hear from Relisha-san, the guild master, that there have been more requests for subjugations recently.

The increase in magic beasts is probably due to the magical energy clusters formed by the world fusion.

In that sense, hunting magic beasts is for the good of the world and its people.

I turned to Linne's mother, Linze, for her opinion.

"What do you think?"

"Given Linne's abilities, I don't think she'd fall behind unless faced with a particularly tough opponent. But there's a risk of getting injured if she's overwhelmed by numbers or encounters a magic beast for the first time... I can't let her go alone."

"In that case, should I go with her?"

Karina-neesan appeared at the breakfast table. She sat in an empty seat and picked up a piece of fruit from the plate.

"Leave the hunting to me. I'll teach you the tricks to hunt any prey skillfully."

Well, you're the Hunting God, after all. Literally, the goddess of hunting.

When I asked who wanted to go, Linne and Frey raised their hands. Elna hesitated and declined Linne's invitation to join. Kuhn and Asia didn’t seem interested. Although, Asia did say to bring back any meat they could eat.

Linne also wanted to invite Alice. Ah, if we don’t invite her, she’ll sulk later…

Of course, if they’re going, I intend to go with them. It would be a problem if something terrible happened in another territory. This is also a form of family service... I guess.

"So, Linne, what do you want to hunt?"

"Dragons!"

Oh boy. Dragons, are technically my summons, Ruri’s kin. Look, Ruri, who was eating over there, is looking at us with a panicked expression.

"But we can hunt sub-dragons that can't communicate or rogue dragons that broke the rules, right?"

"You're well-informed..."

Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no problem hunting them. Also, dragons that evolved closer to magic beasts should be fine.

I called Ruri over to get her opinion.

'Near the sanctuary in the Great Forest, there should be many sub-dragons. But if you're looking for strength, the magic dragons might be more suitable.'

"Magic dragons, huh..."

Magic dragons are a branch of dragons. Unlike sub-dragons, they retain their draconic lineage, making them highly combative, but they can’t communicate. Simply put, they’re sub-dragons with true dragon-level combat power.

There are many unique species, and I’ve fought the poison dragon Hydra before.

A troublesome one with nine heads that regenerate no matter how many times you cut them off.

Strength-wise, they should meet Linne’s expectations, but they’re often tricky to deal with…

I took out my smartphone and searched for magic dragons. There are quite a few around the world. Narrowing it down to the Great Forest, there seemed to be about ten.

"If we’re going to hunt, it’ll be around here… There are several clustered together, and it’s near a tribal settlement, so we should take them out early to avoid danger."

I’ll need to contact Pam, the chief of the Great Forest tribe. We can’t have any disturbances. Maybe I’ll bring a gift.

I glanced at Linne, who was eagerly waiting for my answer, ready to go. It would be easier if I could say no...

Linne and the others will eventually return to the future. I want them to make many memories with us until then. Maybe this could be one of those memories.

"Alright… let’s go."

"Yay!"

Linne jumped up with joy. Frey also raised her hands in excitement. Seeing them so happy, maybe hunting isn’t such a bad idea. I just wish they had more girlish hobbies.

Next break, we’ll go magic dragon hunting with the kids—does this count as a family trip?